>> "inde washington" is brought you in part by the american federation of government employees, proud to mamake america work. for more information about afge and mbership, visit afge.org. >> i i have no evidence at this seen andwhat i have was classifie information disclosed. >> this week on "inside a sex scandal at top of the cia. the benghazi blame gamame. >> the amecan people desve facts. the let this happen again. > why would susan rice not gt our vote? i don't trust her. defending susan rice.

>> if senator mccain and senator want to go after somebody, they should go aft me. there are no barriers to dn and beginning to work through this process. >> as the fiscal cliff looms, is deal in the works? mitt romney explains why he .ost >> the president's campaign was certain membersrs of his collision, give them extraordinary financial gifts , and workovernment very aggressivelely to turn them vote.e. captioned by thehe national captioning institut --www.ncicicap.org-- >> i just don't ow where to begin this week. we talk about republicacan charges of a cover-up with regard to the fatatal attack in benghazi? do we talk about sexual liaison

and national security? about israel dealza, possibility of a a the fiscal cliff? let's starwith the sex. [laughter] the d director of the cia resigs fbi uncovers e-mails revealing that general david extramaritalan with s biographer, broadwewell, a married moer of two. about unlimited access. general petraeus was set to testifabout the benghazi hearings, as we were recording program, so we don't know -- yet.saiget >> we are safer becausef the t that dave petraeus has done, and my maiain hope right w he and his family are a a that th on being a single side note othwise been an

extraordinary career. >> extraordinary career. petraeus is aighly decorated foustar army general ph.d. from princeton university. been around for awhile. a smart guy like that get into a mess like this? i think you said it, let's sex.o the he is america's spymaster, a ther degreesll the that.l running the cia. to conduct an through a gmail acunt, nobody can get access to maybe every 12-year- in america. his paramour has a master's also atm harvard, grad, and she decides allegedly to send a threatening s to a woman in flflorida,a, also going after general petraeus, and she sends these

gmail account. shocked, shocked that they got caught. d dumb and dumber. >> colby, you have military and security experice. .our thoughts on this >> war is hell and it has obviously taken a toll on top generals.. look, nothing general petraeus has done will detract from his .ecord happened is confusing. the investigatation that was doe -- they determined was no questionf or national security compromise. there is another aspect to this thing, suitability for conduct. you can be a patriot, but if are habitually to excess,

problem.be a amebody has got to make decision with conduct, and that did not happen. the justice department with all that, and i n't understand why. margaret? >> usuallyhese things are done clandestinely until they are not. gmail isn't.ing, we a are addicted to e-mail,l, d put things in it that we seen, but we be hold the cia director to a higher standard. if the standard we holding our mitary and our isn'tcal figures to somewhat too elevated nonow as opposed to private citizens. divorce is soaring in the military. these deployments are hard on families. people are weak. all stupid in the throes affair.antic do we want to get rid of peoe general petraeus when there security breach?

the person who shod be fired that i agent, and l the who let that go up the chain of command. >> what do you make of that, nina? >> well, i hope his s career is ruined, because in the normal course o of events, as human .eings are frail get rid of every person in whoas an illicit affair, we will lose some of the people around, even though like eir private conduct. .elet me j just finish having said that, inhe normal course of events,, if yoare worrd abouout the compromise of security, en as date,e, and you find out there of not been a compromise call in sececurity, you the general and read them the knows hed everybody blackmailed a and it stays at home. >> do we know that national security has not been compmised? k know, because more

fromds have been taken broadwell's house, and there is a question of what is r records. me adess one thing, the that the flesh weak. weak, but certain people have to be strong. general john allen, who has petraeus' job in afghanistan, may have sent mails to this- tampa socialite -- there is an "tampating term, soalit" is in theal allen the fate of 82,000 troops. he does s not have the time -- >> well, i don't know about that. i don't know what the contents those emailed s -- how many rom him and somebody else don't knknow the nature of f that relationship. this is quite different between allen and

kelley and petraeus and broadwell. >> nina, why didn't the justice tell the white house what was going on? >> if htye had, we would all be screaming cover-up. damned if you do, damned if you don't. of ththings griffin bell is thathen he level people be investigation,e did not president. the whole plan was to have an investigation whout compromising the presidenor .he investigation >> margaret, there was an election going on. >> there was, and i agree with nina. you just have to be careful that yourself in the positi of cover-up. what is conduct that is worthy of blackmail? it is what the direcector of - we all ielligence sasay eight days. there is this vicious circle. petraeusus to be blackmailed byt

fired by at.e >> in defense of the fbi agent, he thought he was doing is duty -- >> he is shirtless and he goes to a congressman because he he is getting attention? >> the only person who comes out looking really good is eric cantor.r. >> no, n no, absolutely not! absolutelyly not eric cantor was given information and he should hav shouldto the leaderer, he to the chairman of committee, he of -- why did he sit t on it? he didn't sit on ! >>e did sit on it. he clammed up. >> we have a certain difference of opinion on this matt. ♪

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[ male announcer #2 ] if it's available, you should get it. >> the reason i don't foster is i ink she knew better, and if dshe should -- reason i trust her as ii think she better, and if she did, she shouould not be the voicece of america. >> for them to go after the u.n. not haveror who did o with benghazi and was spreading intelligence that received, to besmircher outrageous.is >> they are talking about our un rice, who cldan ofthe president's nomee cretary of state rate is a about on appeararance on talk shows theember 16 follolowing attacks in1 benghazi. krauthammer, our friend, -- he is inweek has beenveli -- this for weeks to he that it was a p phony a

cover story in the run-up to the election. >> we don't know yet. maybe the intelligence committees have some notion, but we don't know yet. they are still conductinthe investigation within the state department. therere seems to have been 85 going on at once. i am not clear on whatappened. >> according to some members of commimittee, petraeus told the cia talking points benghazandn on referred to it as a attack, but petraeus that they said were r removed by agencies. >> i don't see thisis as the question, w whether for 24 or 4 48 hours we said was it t s attack in response to a wasn't -- the was should d the consulate, which is not an embassy,ut a consulate, have

been prepared r an attack. did did the president or anyone else asked the defense forces to stand down and not rescue the people? those are the important questions. >> what do you have instead? have two united states wailing on ththe u.n. ambassador. "i don't trust her." when the secretary before the world at the united nations -- >> condoezza rice? >> no, no, esotery state colin powell laid out this case for weapons of mass destruction and there b but did and say,ocome forward trust him, i would never vote for him"? >> when it was secretary of rice, theydoleezza her relying on t the hand, which is what susan rice d. no reflection on how important ut a u.n. is

ambassador who had nothing to do sing something on a talk show becomes the entire focus of their attention? >> california republican congressman dana roa -- "what is clear that this administratn and himself hasas -- - toied' the american peoplple." >> where is the proof? drones and keeping up the war -- where is the payoff? cynical political attack. >> are they trying t to turn it into watergate? they are trying to turn it anything. put sarah palin in a thetbeat away from not votey, but he will for susan rice because he cannot trust her? that is absurd. >> i agree with everything set

i watched her on the contemporaneously, and i myself, hownking to loes she know it is so assured y? it, almost a tone to battle tone that in hindsight -- >> you read the transcript of her interview with bob schieffer, and there are all tough -- "based on we know now." working from talkg points. is she the person i would have sent outut? i am not sure. she was working from talkiking points by the administraon. >> you are not going to satisfy charles krauthammer with that. >> will try, for goodness' sake. [laughter]

>> there isnly one way to solve these challenges, a and tt together.t have saidid before, i am open compromise and open to new ideas. >> i think that the spirit of have seen overou from myself, my democrats across the aisle, from th predent, have where id an atmospher think -- i remamain optimistic. >> isn't that nice? [laughter] >> could it be that peace i is t hand in the publican caucus? boehner is listening to others, like vulnerable bunn -- ththe billlican governors, and kristol is saying do we really defending tax cuts people with car elevators. this is not the position n they i weree obama, i would just get them in a room

there.p them >> but it is interesting when watch what oing on ght now. obama does th very nice sort between the "i am open to everything" and "i am drawg g one red line, for millionaires --" >> i don't hear him changing on that. he is not treated the people tesd are being really the house and senate. the ones who are doing the public posturing for him. boehnernk also that have a strong hand. he has a caucus that has dug in its heels on any kind of compromise. i saw a picture of john boehner, this cartoon holdingter, john ehner the football and saying to me."a "trust >> there was an election on

november 6 and the democrats did the parade who gis here? -- did not do that at e. who gives here? >> everybody has to giveve. >> it is true. of cannot tax your way out cannot slash you out of this get debt. you have to do both. >> gradually. > the president seems to be deal -- a two-for-one every $1 of tax increase, he expenses by $2. . 1-2-3on-bowles had a ratio. republicans want zero. >> the business community does want us to go over the cliff. >> if he uses different -- orage, whether their republicans amenable to an increase in taxes -- >> use the word "revenue."

>> you have e an nancy pelosi taking the position that it $1 million, not $250,000. said make itas $500,000. movement ise the going to come. >> we are nibbling at the edges. know, but that is where comes.ement >> i is there a deal behind clod doors that that we don't know about? i don't think so. posturing at this point. >> the tea party is not as was.g as it the memberswho came back won in gerrymandered districts, boehner has more control of his caucus this time.

>> what the president did oneive them two things

is it gives them two things -- one, a big tiff with the act and the amnesty program, and number two, a big obamacare, $10,000 a family. >> mititt romney explaining to s donors when he lost the election. gov. bobby jindal, chris chriristie, they don't like that kindnd of talk. well, becauause i h politically suicidal. -- is politicallyly suicidal. awhile i say to myself, you are an iot. ery me you, maybe he misspoke with 47% and we were doing him a disservice. now, that is what he meant that he said it again. >> toward t the end of the much -- hwas >> much more magnanimous. >> it was a question of trust, and people realized rly on romney was somebody trust.annot 47%,vealed himself in the

thingul ryan did the same talking about takers endeavors. -- acres and giver is pretty revealed who he is, it plutocrat. where does threpublican party go from here? es it needed to be rebuild? >> yes, it needs to rebuild. mitt romney and the republicans become the rip van winkle party. they have opened frotheir slumber to find there are black america, people sians, and somehow vote.all been given the how did this happen? they have been bribed, giving , instead of corporations banks getting gifts. people getting gifts. >> and they are all special paerest groups, nonot really of t whole. strae as special interest groups, like young people getting some rief -- >> but y you have people,

responsible weapons, saying that we have toto reach out more to -- responsible saying we have to reach out re to hispanics -- >> you had marco rubio saying don't know these work."who don't want to you arere in a gerrymandered district, you can keep 47%.e are someone like marco with or anybody youidential aspirations, cannot keep saying this about people. it will take more than cosmsmetics and photo ops. policy, and that i is what with.ave e to c come to grips their policies don't wash with .eople people don't buy their policies, the people that they need to reac the first thing they need to do is immigration rereform -- >> it worked in 2010. happens in 2014. i would not write them off. >> i am not writing them off, getthe first thing to do is an immigration reform bill -- brewers in -- jan their party.

>> last word. you very much. see you next week. >> "inside washington" is brought you in part by the american deration of government employees, proud to make america work. for more information about afge and membership, visit afge.org.